Description
Mike Coles – 50 Years in the Wilderness: From Killing Joke and the Orb to the Church of Bleeding Gums, A graphic voyage of art, design and stubborn independence.
1976 – 2026
This book represents the life’s work of Mike Coles founder of Malicious Damage Records, creator of the iconic record sleeves and posters of Killing Joke, the Orb, Mark Stewart, Ski Patrol, Wau Recordings and many others.
His design and adaptation of the Don McCullen photo of kids playing in the Bogside in Derry to include the words ‘Killing Joke’ painted on the wall and then processed to be a stark black and white image has become iconic and central to the idea of post punk in the 1980s, and the work of the band. His artwork for the singles ‘Wardance’, ‘Requiem’ the ‘Follow the Leaders’ and the album ‘What’s This For’ continued that exceptional work that are now seen as design classics of the period.
Coles started out using Letraset, a scalpel, collage and juxtaposition to great effect. His work has been an ever present for Killing Joke and more recently The Orb, and his ability to provide an image that really conveys jarring, political and evocative imagery is incredible.
Book contents: the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s, the 2000s, the 2010s, the 2020s
- Printed on 130 gsm Art Silk paper.
- 312 pages
- 800 images.
- Dimensions: 297 mm by 297 mm (just under the size of a 12” single)
- Wraparound printed jacket
- Silver oil blocking on the front and back covers with a cloth-bound hardback cover
- Blood red page-reading ribbon and black endpapers.
- More than a repress of ‘40 Years in the Wilderness’: this book has additional and updated content.
